Humming As We Go
by xXcoolusernameXx
Summary: Zuko is on rampage, looking for the avatar, which is said to be the last of the air nomads. But when he does so, the avatar isn't anything like what he expected. For one, the avatar is a girl. And second, a very attractive girl.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is actually from Hiromi's, my female version of Aang, POV. I keep some of the actual story at the beginning, but once I get to a certain point, I'm not sure when yet; the whole avatar story will change to my fiction. I will keep most of the characters, but there are really only two characters that I will be focused on throughout my fiction, Hiromi and Zuko. I hope you like it and please, REVIEW!(:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or any of its characters, only Hiromi, and maybe others...**

I don't remember much, just a massive explosion and myself blindly running to Appa, my flying bison. It was raining, and it was night time. The pungent smell of soot was overwhelming, and I know I threw up more than once. After hiding from many fire nation soldiers, I struggled onto Appa's wet, musty, matted fur and said, "Yip!" lacking the energy to finish his signal to take off. I felt guilty, like I was being greedy somehow by not finishing my sentence completely, while making Appa fly to who knows where. The rain was piercing my skin like bullets, and I heard thunder rumble in the distance. I looked up, glad that no one could see the tears running down my face. Even if someone was with me, they wouldn't have been able to tell.

Just yesterday I was informed by the monks that I was the avatar, master of all four elements. This news should've come as a shock to me, but I felt nothing but relief. All my life I knew I was different, and now that I had a reason to explain this, I felt as if I could die then and be happy. But, considering I'm only fifteen, it would kind of stink to die this young. So when the fire nation attacked our air temple, I felt like I must've jinxed everybody. It seems like everything is always my fault. Appa being tired like this, the temple being attacked, and now, while on the brink of war, I decided I would try and end it before the war started.

I made myself disappear.

**This is just a brief introduction to the story, I'll publish the next part after I get a few more chapters done, and a review or so?(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took so long to write this, I just had to make sure that this chapter is perfect! Anyway, I am so happy that these two very amazing people took the time to review my story, ****b90219 and XxEmbers13xX! You two, my friends, are the best. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own ATLA or any of its characters, only Hiromi… and maybe others?**

Now, here I am who knows how many years later, inside a canoe with two southern water tribe members, Sokka and Katara. I turn around to see Appa somewhat trailing behind us, glad to finally be free from the frozen glacier prison. Fog is beginning to surround the water around us, and I surreptitiously air bend it away. Looking intently at my forehead is Sokka, I eye him suspiciously and ask him what he's thinking about.

"Oh, I uhh," he says, blushing, "I was just wondering if you're an air bender, that's all."

My eyes widen, _did he see me air bend the fog away?_

"Why do you ask?"

"You kind of, uhh, you know, have a flying bison." Katara said.

I nod my head and look down, blushing. _I'm so freaking stupid. _I look up and see Sokka whispering into Katara's ear. Nodding her head, Katara looks at me and examines me up and down. Never in my life had I felt so violated. Katara has ice blue eyes. Her eyes were so haunting and wise. They were deep and cold, and had seen things no human should ever have to see. They saw things that weren't meant to be seen, and now, having them peer into my soul like this, I had no choice to shiver and cross my arms in front of my chest.

"Where are your tattoos?" she said aggressively.

"I never got them, the monks tried to get me too, but I didn't want to cut my hair." I pulled a yellow ribbon out of my hair and let my long, dark brown hair cascade over my shoulders. I ran my fingers through it and pulled it back into the ribbon, which was, I must say, quite a time consuming activity.

Eagerly, Sokka scooted towards me and looked up at me pleadingly.

"Could you show me some air bending?"

I stared at him attentively, considering his proposal.

"First you have to answer a question," I say.

"What is that?" Sokka says.

"How long has it been since they have seen the avatar?"

Hearing this, Katara spun around and said, "The avatar hasn't been seen for over one hundred years. He abandoned us all. Left us to fight our own battles, he doesn't care about any of us, or else he wouldn't have left. You know what, I have a question for you too, Miss Hiromi the 'air bender', why is it so important to you? What does it matter how long the avatar has been missing?"

She returned to her previous stance, and then remembered that she had just asked me a question and turned back towards me, tears in her eyes. _Apparently the avatar is a sore subject for Katara.. _

"Because I need to know how long I was in that iceberg," I mutter under my breath.

"I was just curious, I'm sorry if I offended you, Katara." With this, I pulled out my staff and flew into the sky, doing flips and shaping the clouds to make the air nation insignia. _One hundred years? What happened to the air temple after I left? Is anyone still looking for me?_

Once I landed on the canoe, I was greeted with an awestruck stare from both Sokka and Katara. I smile nervously and sit down.

**Three Days Later**

The small village loved me.The children loved watching Katara and I perform our bending together, and it not only entertained the children, but the two of us as well. Katara told me that there were no more air benders and the last air nation temple that existed was cleared out right before the avatar disappeared, the southern air temple; my temple. The whole village was talking about the existence of an air bender. And apparently, the word had spread. Later that day, a fire nation ship crashed into the ice at the edge of the small village.

And off of this fire nation ship, exited the most handsome fire nation soldier I had ever lay my eyes on.

**Sorry this is so short, I'm watching the Texans game and I'll try to make the next chapters a lot longer, I just wrote this in a hurry! I will try to start making them at least one thousand five hundred words each from this point forward, I pinky promise!(:**

**I might make them even longer if I get more reviews!**

**I'll give you two thousand words in the next chapter if I get ten more reviews.!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay! Time for the next chapter! I'm doing this in study hall, so woot! Go free time! Anyway, thanks to everybody who reviewed, more people should be like y'all, a lot more people.**** Virtual hugs to you! I'm trying my best to make these chapters as long as possible, without making the story progress to quickly, also, I apologize for any typos that were in the last story, I wrote that while watching football. ****I'm trying to write one chapter a week, and now that I have more free time since I'm not playing softball or track this year and basketball being close to over, I'll be writing longer chapters! Thank the LORD! I wish this wasn't blocked on our school computers, so I would be able to post a lot more often, oh well… C'est la vie!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own ATLA or any of its characters, except Hiromi, and now another!**

"Where is the air bender?" were the first words out of his mouth.

I saw my own breath as all the eyes of the village shifted to mine. I was frozen with fear. _What do they want with me? Who is this soldier?_I stepped forward, not knowing what was to become of me.

This bold move seemed to take the soldier by surprise; he recoiled slightly then cleared his throat and ordered for the soldiers to seize me. Next thing I knew, two fire nation soldiers were escorting me to their vessel, along with Katara and Sokka. When the soldiers grabbed me, Katara tried to attack the soldiers, which I must say, was a very dumb move on her part, and Sokka was right by her side. The soldiers soon caught them as well, and we were all being taken captive on the dark, looming, destructive vessel.

Everything went black.

_I was running, from what, I'm not sure. I could taste the sweat dripping from my brow, and the smell of smoke was abundant. Then I heard screaming. Children, women, men, everyone was in danger. "Why has the avatar abandoned us?" was all I could hear over the roaring of flames. When I turned to see if my pursuer was still behind me, I saw only a famine-stricken young girl, around five or six years old. She looked up at me with sad, round eyes; and blinked as a single tear was shed from her eyes, and she reached for my hand and let out a short, raspy breath before falling. Her soot-covered body was fragile as a flower, and she opened her eyes once more, smiled, and I felt the grip on my hand loosen before I could say sorry._

I wake up in a cold sweat. As I reach to wipe the sweat of my forehead, I notice my arms and legs are bound to the wall. I struggle to pull away, but I know better, there's no point in trying to get away, these chains are too strong. Instead of trying to escape, I study my surroundings. I'm in a dimly lit room, across from me I see Katara, sleeping and lacking shoes. I search the room for any sign of Sokka, whom is seemingly nowhere to be found. The air is damp, and smells of salt. The metal walls are cold, and the floor is wet. Despite the poor conditions, I couldn't take my mind off of the soldier. Not only was he the living and breathing definition of handsome, but his overall appearance was strong and powerful. Very muscular, chiseled jaw, and radiated beams of confidence. Although I did notice a scar across his eye, it only added to his manly appearance.

Sighing, I drop my head and think. I think about the friends I used to have in the temple. I think of all the people I abandoned, and how I could ever be able to fix the mess I made one hundred years ago.

I sat thinking of this for who knows how long, an hour, maybe three? Regardless, after a long time, two soldiers dressed in concealing uniforms entered the room. Behind him was a short, fat man dressed in robes and sandals. In his hands he held a basket. He appeared to be a wise man, the deep lines on his face and white hair made sure of this. He had laugh lines and his eyes sparkled. He seemed to be a man that was quite friendly, but, if pressed, could become your greatest enemy. He gave me a penetrating stare, and then smiled. He waved his hands to order the other soldiers out of the room. He sat the basket in front of me and pulled out a mat. He shook it out, laid it in front of me, and sat down.

"Hello, young air bender, I am General Iroh." The fat man said, pulling out two tea glasses and a pot full of what I assume is tea. He pours the glasses and hands one to me.

I stare at him suspiciously. The aroma of the substance is inviting, and I drink a full glass without realizing it. Regaining my senses, I drop the fragile tea cup onto the cold, metal ground. The sight of the delicate object lying on the ground reminds me of the young girl from my dream, and I shiver. I look up at Iroh apologetically, and he picks up this glass, sets it inside the basket, and pulls out a different, more intricately designed glass. This one is black with golden orchids painted along the base, the rim is red with tiny, pale flowers scattered across it. As he pours the tea into this glass, I notice thin, silver swirls covering the remainder of the glass. When he hands me the glass, I can only stare in awe at the remarkable craftsmanship before me. I look up at him and he smiles a warm smile, "This has been in my family for many generations, it is very old, and delicate, like an ancient flower."

With this he takes a sip of his tea and lets out a long, relaxed breath. "I do not wish to harm you, young lady. I cannot speak for any other on this ship, but I am making it my personal duty to see that neither you nor any of your friends are mistreated while on or off board."

We continue to converse about his life, about his being a general in the war, the death of his only son, and the identity of the handsome warrior, who happens to be his grandson. At the mention of the warrior, I believe that I noticeably became more interested in the conversation, because I heard him let out a small chuckle before revealing his name, Zuko. He tells me that I will soon become more acquainted with his grandson, but for now I must get my rest, and that I have a very big day ahead of me.

With this, he leaves the room and I try my best to fall straight asleep, which, now I see may not have been in my best interest.

_It was snowing. Wait, was that snow? It couldn't have been, snow isn't black. But I was standing in the snow, was I not? Regardless, I was cold, and wet. I ran as fast as I could to find shelter. I could stay in a cave, maybe? But even a pile of rocks could be made useful at this point. I turned to see a mysterious character following me. I know he's not an enemy, but he surely was not a companion of mine. Anyway, I'm frantically searching, trying my best to ignore the follower. Aha! I almost missed it, I small cave, hidden in the snow. I make a sharp turn, now looking for spare wood or anything else that could be used as a fire starter. I slide into the mouth of the cave, and then look to see if my pursuer was still on my trail. Nobody is in sight. I turn around, and see a friendly glow around a corner in the cave that wasn't there at first. I cautiously approach the light, and see a young boy, around the age of eleven or twelve, fire bending a small fire. In the middle of the fire appears to be a staff of some sort with a doll tied to it. I get closer to the boy and see a poorly made rag doll. The boy looks at me and smiles a sinister grin. He snaps his fingers and the doll bursts in flames. The last I saw of the doll was a blue arrow painted across her head._

There was banging at the door. Hearing this, Katara jumps and gasps for air. Light floods the room, and torches across the wall are immediately lit. This was the most light that I had seen in who knows how long, as my eyes adjust, I see a tall, dark figure approach me. The figure unlocks my shackles and snaps their fingers. Two other figures grab me by my arms and carry me to another room. They unlock what appears to be a heavy, maximum-security door, open it, and throw me into the room without a second thought.

My eyes have adjusted by now, and in front of me, I see an arms-crossed Zuko.

**Well.. I'm sorry that it's taken so long to write this.. I only write at my grandmother's house now, and it's difficult to write when I don't have faithful readers review so I know what they want to hear! So review, private message, email me, anything! But I'm only going to write longer stories if I get more reviews! If I get ten more reviews in the next week, I will gladly make the next story 2,000 words long, minus the author's note. *Virtual hugs* **


	4. Chapter 4

"Where are my friends?" I spat. Why did I say that? That was sort of stupid, considering he's sort of handsome and I don't want him to hate me.

"Don't you want to know why I've brought you here? It seems you aren't thinking clearly. But to get to the point, I need your help. And once you help me, I'll do what I can so that I can help you." his voice was gorgeous, and put me in a trance. His tongue was silver, and I would hold on to every word that I would hear come out of his mouth. But he needed my help? What could I do for this gallant soldier? And what could he possibly do to help me, when all I want is to bring back my family? Though I'm sure my eyes were telling another story, I decided to play tough. "What could I possibly do for you?" Wow, that was really tough. He chuckled, "What could you do for me? Now, that list could go on and on, Miss Hiromi," my heart stopped, could he know I was the Avatar? I hadn't been sleep talking, have I? Play it cool. "But I'm not going to be selfish with you." he eyed me up and down, sending a blush to my cheeks. "We could discuss this further, but I'd like to do so in a more professional manner. And it seems you are still disoriented." I hadn't noticed until he pointed it out, but I had been holding on for dear life against a chair next to me, and I was exhausted. He called for the guards to escort me to my room, and instead of taking me to the damp, moldy cell I had grown used to, they took me to a room close to the upper deck. The room was right next to the barracks, and across the hall from General Iroh's room. When I walked in, I was greeted by the smell of the ocean. The room was colored a deep maroon, and the floor was as white as snow and softer than fleece. In the center of the back wall there was a king sized bed with a golden comforter and maroon canopy. Also on the bed were a massive sum of throw pillows in varied shades of white, maroon, and gold. On either side of the bed were large bay windows with dark, wooden reading nooks built into them. There were mahogany bookshelves lining the left and right walls. The wall to the left of the doorway was hidden by a wardrobe, presumably filled with clothes tailored to fit a girl my size. And to the right was a writing desk, equipped with enough utensils and parchment to write ten novels. There was a large chest in front of the bed, and an ancient and expensive-looking rug in front of it. General Iroh appeared behind me and escorted me to the wardrobe. Behind us, the door shut and I heard at least six locks bolt afterwards.

"I will be accompanying you for each of your meals for the rest of your stay on this ship, as well as discussing business either over a glass of tea, on deck, or in Zuko's or my office. You are expected to always look your best. So we have provided for you the best robes the palace has to offer. Your powder room is through this door," he gestured to what I thought was the only empty shelf in the room, "I'll leave you to look in your new living quarters and I'll return for lunch in about two hours."

He asked the guards to open the door, and, to my dismay, as soon as the door was closed, the infinite locks on my door trapped me in my beautiful dungeon.

I looked around. Would Sokka and Katara have an extravagant room like this? I sighed and prayed they did. I looked at the door that was previously thought of as an empty bookshelf. I saw a golden knob and walked in. I gasped and put my hands over my chest. The room was completely black and white marble with maroon accents. There was an ebony bathtub-shower combination large enough for three people in the center of the right wall. All of the walls were covered in full-length mirrors, making the room feel larger than it was. There were maroon and silver towels neatly folded and set on a large dressing table at the back of the room, close to the tub. There was a black and silver vanity that covered about a quarter of the left wall. Inside were eye paints, perfumes, jewelry, and hair combs. There was a toilet and sink in the back left corner. Around the sink were basic hygiene necessities such as a toothbrush and toothpaste. And on the wall-length counter were expensive face washes, shampoos, and other lotions and scrubs that I was expected to use on a daily basis.

I walked back into my room and chose a simple golden robe and slippers from the wardrobe. I took a hot shower and scrubbed all of the soiled dirt from my body, then used as many of the washes I could think to use and shaved my legs, armpits, and, umm, navel; just to make me comfortable. I put on my white undergarments and shiny robes. I then pinned my long hair back out of my face with a blue comb and brushed the rest over my left shoulder. I sprayed on a Jasmine scented perfume and put a thin line of black paint above my eyelashes and put a small wing at the end of each line. I put on my slippers and and decided not to wear any jewelry other than a small emerald bracelet. I examined myself in the mirror and couldn't help but notice how stunning I looked. The front of my robes came down just far enough to hide my cleavage, and the gold on my robe made my green eyes stand out more than ever. I was still bony from not eating properly for the past few weeks, but the robes hid the sharp edges of my body and made me appear to have a slender yet curvy figure. My eyes looked sultry with the amount of paint on them, and my cheeks had a natural rose color to them that made me radiate youthfulness along with my soft and nearly flawless skin, despite the hollows under my eyes and cheeks. I stepped out of the powder room after putting my old clothes into a white wicker basket next to the dressing table. I looked inside the chest in front of my bed and found little things I could use to entertain myself with, including many small games, sewing equipment, and a bronze telescope. I walked to the left bay window and found that the bookshelf beside it contained many scented candles and oils. I looked at the bookshelf next to the right bay window and found many books about stars and navigating. I sat down at my writing table and began writing down all of the dreams I've had since I got on board this vessel. I sewed the entries into a leather folder along with a handful of blank parchment. I then hid the journal between two navigating books. Why does a military vessel have quarters like this? I wondered to myself as I looked at the books lining the walls. I was almost halfway through examining the right wall when I heard the bolts on my door unlatching. I ran my hands through my hair and continued to act natural. When Iroh came in, I bowed and walked towards him. Two guards brought in mats for us to sit on and then left the room. Iroh smiled warmly at me and gestured for me to take a seat first. I sat on the floral printed cushion and he followed suit. "I trust that you've found everything to your liking?" he said as he poured the tea into the familiar fragile tea glasses. "Oh definitely! I would just like to ask why a suite like this is built onto here?" Iroh nodded his head and sipped his tea. "Each of our ships are made with royalty quarters, and since there is no official royalty on this ship, I suggested that we let you use the room to Zuko, and he agreed!" Official royalty? What was that supposed to mean? I decided to wait until later to ask this. I sipped my tea and nodded my head to signify I understood what he was telling me. We talked some more and ate lunch, then said our goodbyes once we were finished. I sighed again when they locked the door. No matter how much they gave me in here, I would still be locked in.

I finished looking at all of the books and found that most of them were over the history of the fire nation. I sat down on the left reading nook and lit a sweet smelling candle to set next to my bed. I then fell into a deep sleep.

Zuko's POV

(This is when he was talking to Hiromi earlier)

"Where are my friends?"

were the first words out of her mouth. Even in such bad shape, it hurt to hear the words stinging at me from her perfectly shaped mouth. She looked like a tortured princess. Her hair was knotted and messy, and her sorry excuse for clothes did little to cover her now bony knees and elbows. She needed these better living conditions if she was ever going to cooperate with me. But her beauty would make my future betrayal to her ten times harder for me than it should be. I tried to sound charismatic,

"Don't you want to know why I've brought you here? It seems you aren't thinking clearly. But to get to the point, I need your help. And once you help me, I'll do what I can so that I can help you."

She seemed to be thinking of something far off, which somehow made me nervous. Perhaps she was thinking of her friends still. They should have better living conditions as well, I should make a mental note to do that also.

"What could I possibly do for you?"

She sounded so weak and unsure of herself that it amused me and I think I laughed a little.

"What could you do for me? Now, that list could go on and on, Miss Hiromi, but I'm not going to be selfish with you."

I couldn't help but take in her image from head to toes to add emotion to what I was saying. My whole plan depended on winning her trust, and I intend on doing just that. I saw her cheeks blush slightly, and noticed that she was holding tightly onto a chair and breathing heavily through her nose. I cleared my throat,

"We could discuss this further, but I'd like to do so in a more professional manner. And it seems you are still disoriented."

She looked down at the chair and I called for the guards to escort her to her new quarters.

As soon as she left I fell onto my bed and thought of what her and my uncle would talk about every day. Perhaps I could go with him soon to see how she's doing.

Over the next two hours I arranged for her friends to move into rooms close to hers, but nowhere near as extravagant. I also lost the nerve to go with Iroh for lunch, I could maybe go to dinner with him later. I spent the rest of the day talking with crew members about our route we would be taking. Then I got an idea that would surely win Hiromi to my side.


End file.
